Lottery tuition assistance a numbers game

Piedmont Tech works to correct uncertainties in funding

April 13, 2006

By JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writer

Piedmont Tech student Rico Saxon always gets a little nervous as the start of a new term nears. It’s not new classes and a new schedule that make him nervous. And, as an honors student, it’s certainly not the prospect of failing.
Saxon gets nervous because he never knows how much money he’ll have to come up with to keep his name on the roster. One semester, his enrollment was dropped because the estimate of how much he would have to pay was so far off, he said.
Like many students attending technical colleges in South Carolina, Saxon is able to attend school because of tuition assistance from S.C. Education Lottery funds.
The funds are made available to anyone who has been a state resident for at least one year, is attending a two-year public or private institution and earns too much to receive other financial aid.
Saxon said there’s no way he’d ever be able to attend school without lottery assistance, so he’s definitely grateful for it. He said he just wishes there was some guarantee about how much he would receive each semester so he wouldn’t have to worry so much about coming up with the portion of his tuition he pays himself.
Unlike other tuition assistance programs in the state — the LIFE scholarship, for example — lottery assistance funds vary from term to term for each student. The amount is determined by how much money is collected by the lottery for the program and how many students apply to receive that money.
“There’s just a lot of uncertainty,” Saxon said. “You wonder every semester, ‘Will it be more or less than it was last time?’”
Jeff Tiller, also a student at Piedmont Tech, is in a position similar to Saxon’s. Lottery assistance is helping him achieve his dream of following in his mother’s footsteps as a nurse by allowing him to pursue an associate’s degree in nursing.
He’s grateful for the assistance, he said, but would feel more at ease knowing in advance each term how much he will have to pay out of pocket. Expecting $900 and getting $500, with the start of classes nearing, can be a nasty surprise and can cause problems for students who need to apply for student loans, Tiller said.
Faculty and staff at Piedmont Tech say they understand the problems presented by the lack of guarantees with lottery assistance, but there’s only so much they can do.
“The technical college system has made this issue one of its priority items,” said Becky McIntosh, Piedmont Tech’s vice president for student development.
Meetings have been sponsored locally and across the state to try to encourage legislators to change the way the state funds the program to ensure that all students receive a set amount of assistance, regardless of how many students apply.
“Students at technical colleges really want to be treated the same as those at four-year institutions,” said Jim Klauber, Piedmont Tech’s vice president for institutional advancement. “The law could easily be amended by the General Assembly to allow the amount being expended for this to be open-ended. Other programs funded from lottery money could be reduced proportionally to fix the amount at $1,000 per term, for example.”
That amount, Klauber said, would be ideal in terms of funding.
McIntosh and Klauber agree that students receiving lottery assistance should receive the same treatment as those who receive other forms of assistance from the state.
“They should be able to know what to budget for every year,” McIntosh said. “That can make the difference of whether they come to school that term. It gives them more piece of mind.”

For information on financial aid, contact Piedmont Tech’s financial aid office at 941-8365 or (800) 868-5528.

Lander students shed light
on sexual violence in area

April 13, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

They heard the stories of survivors.
They learned the staggering statistics.
And on Wednesday, students and others lit candles at Lander University to raise awareness and prevention of sexual violence, a crime that affects thousands of South Carolinians each year, according to the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
The candlelight vigil is a powerful method to help students realize the scope and spectrum of sexual victimization, said Walt Yates, outreach coordinator with the Sexual Trauma & Counseling Center (STCC), which organized the event.
It was one of several STCC events planned for April, which is national Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“When there is a recognition or awareness of surviving things like (sexual violence), it makes it easier for those who have never talked to speak to someone they trust. It gives them validation and permission,” Lander Director of Student Health Services Kitty Lewis said.
Lewis is adviser of the campus’s SPICE (Students Promoting Intelligent Choices and Experiences) group, which co-sponsored the event.
“The (candlelight) vigil encourages students to acknowledge that a lot of people around them have experienced sexual violence,” Yates said.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network Web site, every 2 1/2 minutes, someone in America is sexually assaulted, with more than 200,000 cases of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault reported by women and men in 2004.
Yates said the STCC, which serves Greenwood, Laurens and Abbeville counties, served about 400 victims of sexual assault last year, and The Child’s Place, an umbrella program of the STCC, served about 200.
“When put together with the idea that only about 16 percent (of sexual violence cases) are reported, it’s a pretty staggering figure,” Yates said.
According to the STCC, one out of four girls and one out of six boys are sexually abused before age 18, and one out of every three women will be raped in her lifetime.
Yates said colleges are an important sector of the community to reach with the sexual violence awareness message.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that 21 percent of college students say they have experienced dating violence by a current partner, and 70 percent of sexual assaults against teenage and college women are committed by a date or acquaintance.
Yates said about 5 percent of sexual assaults on college students are reported, possibly because students are reluctant to speak up.
“There is a conceptual image about college students that they are wild,” Yates said, “but no one asks to be raped, regardless if they are at a party or drinking ... A lot of times, we look at students and their lifestyles and disregard their accusations.”
But events such as the vigil, he said, help to remind people that sexual assault should never happen to anyone, and to remind survivors who have yet to disclose an assault to someone that help is available.
Counseling can help survivors deal with the side effects often associated with the assault, Yates said. Unlike other crimes where the perpetrator might feel guilt for his actions, in sexual violence situations, he said, it is often the victim who feels that guilt and remorse.
SPICE members read to the crowd passages written by sexual violence survivors in the Lakelands area, and one student spoke about her own encounter with sexual violence. Though scared, that student said she spoke up about her abuse, and she encouraged other victims to speak.“I knew (what was happening) was wrong, but I didn’t know how wrong it was until I talked about it,” she told the crowd. “It’s important to talk so we can change our society and the way people view (sexual violence).”
Throughout April, the STCC will be conducting awareness events in Greenwood, Abbeville and Laurens counties, including a monthlong display of teal ribbons and balloons throughout Uptown Greenwood, a display at Greenwood Mall and “Walk In My Shoes” events April 19 at the Laurens Courthouse and April 26 on the Abbeville Square.

Magistrate’s Office case spurs series of questions

Chief judge refuses to talk about probe

April 13, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

More questions than answers emerged Wednesday in the wake of an investigation into the financial dealings of the Greenwood County Magistrate’s Office that led to a clerk’s arrest.
Authorities announced this week that Toni Cole, of Greenwood, was charged with grand larceny in connection with the alleged theft of more than $22,000 in public funds. She was released on bond following a hearing in Abbeville.
More charges are possible, authorities said, but it was impossible to determine Cole’s status with the Magistrate’s Office or whether any internal changes are being made with the way money is accounted for in the office in order to restore the public trust.
“We are not saying anything other than it’s under investigation,” County Manager Jim Kier said. “That’s all.”
Chief Magistrate Joe Cantrell refused to take a reporter’s phone call, having the secretary instead advise the caller to contact the county manager.
Although it occupies a courtroom and a suite of offices on the first floor of the county courthouse, the Magistrate’s Office is something of an island unto itself. It is not under jurisdiction of the Greenwood County government.
The Greenwood County Web site, under “Magistrate,” says that “all magistrates are under the guidance of South Carolina Court Administration.” In addition to Cantrell, the Magistrate’s Office is manned by Associate Chief Magistrate Bart S. McGuire, Magistrate Lasonia Williams, two part-time magistrates and an unspecified number of clerks.
“We’re going to count every dime that’s over there,” Sheriff Dan Wideman said of the still-under-investigation Magistrate’s Office.
“We’re conducting a forensic audit that will account for every dime,” Wideman said Two sheriff’s office investigators and two agents from the State Law Enforcement Division are on the probe full time, he said.
Wideman said he is surprised that this is the second case of missing public money in Greenwood in a week.
Authorities said the Magistrate’s Office case is unrelated to a SLED charge against a Greenwood Municipal Court employee for embezzlement of public funds less than $5,000. In that case, the employee was placed on paid administrative leave during the course of the investigation, according to Greenwood City Manager Steve Brown.
The sheriff said he didn’t know to what circumstances the two charges of theft of public funds could be attributed.
Eighth Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace also said he was surprised to hear of the allegation. “We all know Toni and think a lot of her,” he said. “It’s a big surprise — one in the city, and now this. We had one in Newberry a couple of years ago. You work with these folks and you don’t expect them to be charged like this.”
Because of the close working relationship between his office and the Magistrate’s Office, Peace said he might refer the case for prosecution to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. The case will come to Peace’s office from the sheriff’s office within 21 days of the arrest, and investigators will provide Peace a file of evidence to examine.
Peace said he will make his decision on whether to prosecute the case or refer it to the attorney general after reviewing that file.
Even if the attorney general’s criminal prosecution division accepts jurisdiction, all court proceedings related to Cole’s case should remain in Greenwood, Peace said.
Wideman said he was notified of a $1,000 missing-money situation in the Magistrate’s Office in 2004 and another $2,500 missing-money situation this year. When a new allegation involving about $5,000 arose last week, Wideman launched the investigation.
“We’re going to find out where all the money went and what’s missing,” he said.
No one would discuss Cantrell’s role in monitoring the financial functions in the office he serves as chief administrative officer, or his level of cooperation with the ongoing investigation.
Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Frederick said late Tuesday night that “we went over and demanded the accounting and financial records from the Magistrate’s Office, and Cantrell called Court Administration to find out what he could and could not legally release.
“They called him back very shortly and told him to produce whatever documents we demanded, and he did so.”
According to the Greenwood County Web site, magistrates issue warrants, set bonds and hear criminal, traffic and civil cases, as well as conduct preliminary hearings and transfer cases for the county. Their criminal jurisdiction is for cases with a maximum fine of $500 and/or 30 days in jail.
About 300 magistrates serve in South Carolina, according to the South Carolina Judicial Department’s Web site. Magistrates also have some civil jurisdiction when the amount in controversy does not exceed $7,500.
They are named to four-year terms by the governor on advice and consent of the state Senate.
They have to pass a certification examination within a year of their appointment, and they are subject to rules of conduct that also bind circuit court judges.
Joel Sawyer, spokesman for Gov. Mark Sanford, said the governor’s role with magistrates is mostly ceremonial in making the appointments recommended by the state Senate.
“We basically submit the paperwork after the Senate has submitted somebody,” he said.
If Peace asks the Attorney General’s Office to handle prosecution of Cole, and any other suspects or charges generated from the ongoing investigation, it will be one of many requests the office gets from across the state, said Mark Plowden, spokesman for Attorney General Henry McMaster.
“It’s one that is quite common week in and week out. In this case, it could be at least a perceived conflict of interest,” he said. “The solicitor would seek assistance of the attorney general or may request that the attorney general handle the case. It could be a perceived conflict of interest or a real conflict.”
More often than not, Plowden said, the Attorney General’s Office would try the case with its own resources. But there is a method in which the case could be handled by prosecutors in a circuit with similarities in terms of size and staffing to the circuit from which the case is transferred.
The other prosecutors could receive an investigative file from the sheriff’s office or SLED, and if they have additional questions they can and often do ask for a further investigation, Plowden said.
“In that case, you would see attorneys from our office in your town. We’re all over the state on any given day,” he said. “It’s a very routine practice and one that’s worked well in the past.”

Filling their need for speed

Ware Shoals Dragway offers amateur racers a chance to show off their vehicles

April 13, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

Competitors wait in line to race cars, motorcycles and dragsters during grudge races last Friday night at the Ware Shoals Dragway.

WARE SHOALS — As auto racing becomes increasingly popular, in the South and around the world, fans and drivers alike are seeking outlets to satisfy their racing appetites.
Residents of Greenwood and the Lakelands area don’t have to look very far.
The Ware Shoals Dragway is open for the 2006 season, with fans and drivers flocking to the drag strip to be a part of the high-octane action.
There are two different types of races taking place at the dragway this season. The first takes place every Friday night, and is called grudge racing. For a cost of $5, drivers can enter their car for a night of racing at the strip and test their machine against the hot rods of other drivers.
The second slate of races, bracket point racing, will be taking place on select Saturday nights until September. Those events are designed for more serious drag racers and cash prizes are awarded.
Ware Shoals Dragway track manager Rafe Gambrell said the Friday night grudge races are his “fun nights” and have much to offer drivers and fans.
“We’ve got guys driving funny cars out here and we’ve got regular Joe’s in their Mustangs,” said Gambrell, standing amidst a sea of hot rods and drivers waiting their turn to get on the track Friday. “We’ve got guys on motorcycles and guys with nitrous oxide boosters. Those are the fan favorites.”
Gambrell, son of track owner Rayford Gambrell, works hard to make sure things go smoothly on Friday nights. The track manager roams the staging area where the drivers wait to get on the track, answering questions and solving problems.
Gambrell said he takes pleasure in policing the action.
“This is my extended family,” said Gambrell, with a smile. “You see a lot of the same drivers, and most of these folks have known me since I was a kid. I love it.”
To roam the grounds at Ware Shoals Dragway on a Friday night is to take in a slice of Americana seemingly from a time gone by.
As dusk approaches, the bleachers begin to fill with a broad cross section of fans. Old men in overalls congregate and banter about the cars they’ve seen. Teenage couples retire to the semi-privacy of the top row, while families with young children populate large sections of the property.
Rows of pick-up trucks and SUV’s line each side of the track. Spectators set up lawn chairs in the truck beds or let their legs dangle off the tailgate. The smell of fresh grilled hamburgers permeates the air, while many adults imbibe on ice cold beer from the perfunctory Playmates coolers.
“We just like to come out here and have a good time,” said 17-year old Charles Parker of Honea Path. “It’s fun to hang out with friends and holler and carry on. It’s great.” Greenwood’s Tracey Kobe agrees.
“We come out here often, mainly because we love the atmosphere,” said Kobe from her folding chair in the back of her family’s pick-up, which is parked just to the right of the drag strip. “The weather is beautiful and some of these cars are amazing. My husband and I have brought our two and a half year old son out here for the first time. We were worried it may be too loud for him, but he loves it.”
It does tend to get loud at the track, particularly with drivers such as Laurens’ Jason Taylor plying their trade.
Taylor, 33, said he has been into racing for years, forming a team with his brother. The driver said besides competing at Ware Shoals, where he participates in grudge and bracket racing, he also races at the Carolina Dragway in Jackson.
“I also do some dirt track racing,” Taylor said. “I’ll race anything. If it has wheels I’ll race it.”
One group of competitors that seems particularly popular with the fans in Ware Shoals is the motorcycle dragsters. Free from the constraints of being surrounded by two tons of steel, the cyclists are often an exhibit of pure speed on the 1/8 mile track.
John Paul Goodman, 20, said there is nothing quite like the thrill he gets from peeling down the track on his motorcycle.
“I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was six years old and there’s nothing like it,” said Goodman, who said his best time at the Ware Shoals track is 6.8 seconds. “It’s an incredible adrenaline rush. It’s like you’re in your own little world.”
With the incredible speed and liabilities involved-everyone, drivers and fans, passing through the gate on a Friday night is required to sign an insurance waiver- there can certainly be anxious moments for family and friends of the drivers.
Simpsonville’s Holly Daves, 21, described watching her boyfriend, 23-year old Rick Maloney, race.
“I had never really followed drag racing before I met Rick,” Daves said. “At first I was a little nervous, honestly. Now I like it. I can really appreciate what these guys do, just as long as I’m not in the car.”
Gambrell said he firmly believes the Ware Shoals Dragway is a solid venue for a family outing.
“We are a family track,” Gambrell said. “People can bring their kids and they can talk to the drivers and ask them about their cars or bikes. We are very proud to offer a safe, entertaining and affordable night of entertainment for anyone who wants to come.”

Elizabeth Blair

PLUM BRANCH — Services for Elizabeth Blair are 3 p.m. Saturday at Mount Lebanon Church, Parksville, conducted by the Rev. E.M. Gordon. Assisting are the Revs. Robert Haskell, J.C. Williams and Michael Butler. The body will be placed in the church at 2. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers are Mursier Smith, Jermaine Smith, Drew Morgan, Rodney Sibert, Bruce Leverette and Sonny McAlister.
Flower bearers are nieces.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at Walker Funeral Home.
Walker Funeral Home, McCormick, is in charge.

Bessie Clem

Bessie James Clem, 90, of 1110 Marshall Road, widow of Freddie Lee Clem, died Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at Wesley Commons.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Cooley Infant

Noah Paul Cooley, infant son of Eshane and Shelley Savory Cooley, of 126 Clifton St., died Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Survivors include his parents of the home; siblings, Molly Cooley, Shawn Cooley and Lorie Harris, all of the home; grandparents, Sheila and Brandon Langley of Greenwood, Howard and Jennie Savory of Bradley, Patricia Savory of Greenwood, Eugenia and Bobby Boyd of Spencer, Tenn., Jimmy and Kathryn Cooley of Sparta, Tenn.; great-grandmother, Delma Shockley of Spencer, Tenn.
The family is at the home.
Harley Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Dianne Devlin

Dianne Devlin, 54, of 231 Woodrow Road, died Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at her home.
Born in Greenwood County, she was a daughter of Effie R. Chiles and the late John T. Chiles Sr. She was a member of Milway Baptist Church and retired from Greenwood Mills after 30 years of service.
Survivors include her mother of Greenwood; a son, Bradley Tramayne Devlin of the home; a daughter, Katrina Devlin of the home; six brothers, John T. Chiles Jr., James Chiles, Thaddeus Chiles and David Wright, all of Greenwood, Leonard Chiles of Charlotte, N.C., Willie Chiles of Atlanta; six sisters, Towanda Chiles, Janice Chiles, Teresa Wright and Elaine Chiles, all of Greenwood, Elizabeth Chiles Fuller of Fayetteville N.C., Betty Ruth Chiles of Savannah, Ga.; a grandchild.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@nctv.com

Alice Podmore

A memorial service for Alice D. Podmore is 11 a.m. Saturday at Wesley Commons.
She died April 2.
Harley Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge.

Rock Sudduth

NINETY SIX — Wilson “Rock” Sudduth, 62, of 509 Hollingsworth Road, husband of Kathy Barnes Sudduth, died Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at his home.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of Eunice Salter Sud-duth and the late Henry Sudduth. He was retired from the US Navy, where he served during the Vietnam War and was a member of Callie Self Memorial Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Merriel Sudduth.
Surviving is his wife of the home; his mother of Green-wood; two daughters, Rebecca Ducken of Oak Harbor, WA and Tonya Kellum of Clinton; two sons, Donald Timms of Oak Harbor, WA and Bruce Alewine of Woodruff; a sister, Virginia Tipton of Lugoff; a brother, David “Butch” Sudduth of Callison and 12 grandchildren.
Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Harley Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Roger McCoy and the Rev. Leland S. Scott officiating. Burial, with military rites, will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Steve Gunter, Tony Gunter, Danny Gunter, Mark Sudduth, Johnny Sudduth, Patrick Cole and James Hurley.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646 or to the Faith Home, PO Box 39, Greenwood, SC 29648.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

B. V. White Jr.

MURRAYVILLE, GA — He was born 8-28-17 in Ware Shoals, SC and died 4-10-06 at his daughter’s home in Murrayville, GA, surrounded by his family.
He attended high school and played basketball for Ware Shoals High School. After graduation he worked for Pacolet Manufacturing Company, now Derring Milliken. He enlisted in the Army Air Corp after Pearl Harbor was attacked, serving as a radio operator manning the signal guiding planes across the Burmese hump between India and China, He was honorably discharged in 1945 and then attended the Georgia Institute of Technology on the GI bill. At Ga Tech, he received the Cotton Manufacturing Association of Georgia medal for having the highest rating as a senior. After graduation he returned to work at many locations for Derring Milliken throughout Georgia and South Carolina, the longest assignment being at New Holland Mill. In 1963 he went to work for Johnson & Johnson at Chicopee, GA, where he retired in 1975.
He started jogging at the age of 50, and ran 5 miles a day until he turned 75. Then he took up walking 5 miles a day. He was a dedicated community volunteer, working with the Boy Scouts for many years and receiving the Silver Beaver Award. He also volunteered for Good News at Noon in Gainesvllie. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club and the Elks Club for many years.
He was a longtime member and devoted volunteer for the First Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the BASIC Sunday School Class. After retirement he went on mission trips with the church to build houses in Mexico and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. He served the church as an Elder, Deacon, Sunday School teacher and Bible Study leader.
He helped his daughter establish the Murrayville Veterinary Clinic and worked for many years at the front desk. He had been at the Bell Minor Home for the last two years during an extended illness. He was a loving and thoughtful son, brother husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
He was preceded in death by his parents. B.V. White Sr. and Myrtle Carr White; his sister Helen Bishop from Ware Shoals SC: his wife of 66 years, Frances Sue Crawford White. He is survived by his brother Henry White of Clinton, SC; his sisters Mildred Martin of SC, and Lois McDonald of Statham, GA; four daughters - Susan White of Jacksonville, NC, Jane (Joe Amerling) White of Murrayville. Martha (Alan) Segal of Franklin, TN, and Ginger (Nate) Willden of Toccoa; seven grandchildren - Fran Northern, Mark and Sandy Belcher, Dallas and Katie Willden, Alli Segal and Elizabeth Moore; 4 great-grand-children and 1 great-great grand-child, In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial dona-tions be made to a charity of their choice or as follows:
Burwell V. White and Myrtle Carr White Scholarship Fund
Presbyterian College
503 S, Broad Street
Clinton, SC 29325
A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 15 at First Presbyterian Church. AT 3:00 PM. THE FAMILY WILL RECEIVE FRIENDS FOLLOWING THE SERVICE IN THE CHURCH PARLOR.
LITTLE-DAVENPORT FUNERAL HOME, GAINESVILLE GEORGIA IS IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
PAID OBITUARY

Frank Whitt

GREENWOOD — Frank G. Whitt, 86, resident of 664 Kirksey Drive, husband of Mildred Elizabeth McKee Whitt, died April 12, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born May 12, 1919 in Honea Path and later resided in Seneca, he was a son of the late George N. and Roxie Stone Whitt. He was a US Marine veteran of WW II and retired from Greenwood Mills Power Plant as a turbine operator after 40 years of service.
Mr. Whitt was a member of Callie Self Memorial Baptist Church and the Mathews Masonic Lodge.
Surviving in addition to his wife of 67 years are two sons, Jerry F. Whitt and wife; Dorothy and Dennis R. Whitt and wife, Judy, all of Greenwood; a daughter-in-law, Margaret Whitt of Greenwood; two sisters, Juanita Martin of Clemson and Doris Whitt of Lexington; a devoted sister-in-law, Cherry Whitt. He was predeceased by a son, Donnie L. Whitt.
Funeral services will be conducted at 3 pm Friday from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Leland Scott and cousin, Rev. Harvey Peurifoy officiating.
Burial will be in Oakbrook Memorial Park.
Pallbearers will be Ray Crowe, Roy Whitt, Stan Turner, Bill Turner, Jake Traynham, Donald Underwood, Pete Rushton and J. W. Walker.
Honorary escort will be friends at the Caravan.
The family is at the home on Kirksey Drive and will receive friends at the funeral home from 7 to 9 Thursday evening.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Whitt family.
PAID OBITUARY

Opinion

We have no real choice but to plan for anything

April 13, 2006

What you don’t know can sometimes hurt you. In this case, though, it could hurt the U.S. What don’t we know ... or, rather, what is it that some people don’t know? From all appearances, some people have never been in or around the military services and have no idea how it all works.
Example: There have been, in recent days, unsupported reports making the rounds that we are making plans to bomb nuclear facilities in Iran, among other things.
No doubt many South Carolinians are hoping that’s true ... and, no doubt, they are. They should be.

ANYONE WHO KNOWS ANYTHING about the military knows that it’s standing operating procedure to have contingency plans related to numerous scenarios. There are many veterans and others in Greenwood and the Lakelands who have been there and done that.
It’s not all that difficult to comprehend. Staying militarily prepared to handle emergency situations is not on a wish list. It’s an obligation. In the troubled and fickle world we live in these days, it’s more critical than ever to follow Teddy Roosevelt’s advice from long ago: Speak softly but carry a big stick. That big stick, of course, is a military that not only stays on guard for our protection now, but one that stays ahead of the game in research and development for needs projected far into the future. The same philosophy applies to personnel, too.
The implied criticisms inherent in the “reports” that we’re planning to bomb Iran should be rejected for whatever reason.

IF WE’RE NOT PLANNING and staying prepared to handle threats from all around, somebody is asleep at the switch. There have been times in the past when we let our defenses down. It almost cost us more than we can pay. It did cost the lives of many Americans, including many from South Carolina.
It took too much valuable time for us to rebuild and to tool up to put us on a war footing. That’s a luxury we can’t afford when we think of nuclear capabilities of capricious regimes around the world ... regimes that would like nothing better than to bring us to our knees ... like Iran defying the world over nuclear preparations.
Military plans? We have to have them. Stop the foolish nitpicking. It’s dangerous.